Nuclear weapons and…: Pakistan used THESE two cards to woo the Muslim world from Qatar to Turkey and Saudi Arabia? Islamabad’s goal is…

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Pakistan used two of its main cards to curry favor with the Arab-Muslim world, including Saudi Arabia– its nuclear weapons and its Islamic identity.

Pakistan Saudi Arabia Defence Pact: Pakistan has signed a NATO-style defence pact with Saudi Arabia under which any attack on either country will be considered an attack on both. But how exactly did Pakistan manage to persuade Saudi Arabia, the leader of the Arab Muslim world and the wealthiest nation in the Middle East?

How Pakistan wooed the Muslim world?

According to experts, Pakistan used two of its main cards to curry favor with the Arab-Muslim world– its nuclear weapons and its Islamic identity. Islamabad has often emphasized of these two ‘attributes’, while Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir has tried to project himself and the Pakistan Army as ‘guardians’ of Islamic interests.

Munir seeks to become the leader of Muslim world by forming an ‘Islamic NATO’, which he believes Pakistan should lead because its the only Muslim country with nuclear weapons. Pakistan has postured itself as a leader for a proposed Arab-Islamic military alliance, securing strategic and financial support from Gulf nations by presenting itself as a key member of a formal Arab-Islamic bloc, analysts say.

At the recent Arab-Islamic summit in Doha, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasized the need for an Arab Task Force, while Defense Minister Khawaja Asif batted for an ‘Islamic NATO’, and stressed on unity among Muslim countries.

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What is the concern for India?

Pointing at Israel and India, Asif urged Muslim nations to recognize “shared challenges”, and while he did not openly name India, experts fear that an Islamic NATO could be used against India, if such a multilateral platform were to emerge.

Experts believe that while Pakistan presented the Islamic NATO as a deterrent against Israel, Islamabad’s real goal is to encircle India, which it views as an “existential threat” following Operation Sindoor.

Can Pakistan lead an Islamic NATO?

Pakistan is consistently pushing for an Islamic NATO and posturing itself as a leader of the proposed bloc, but such a military alliance is merely a pipe dream because of deep-rooted divisions and regional power struggle among Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia’s long-standing power-tussle with Iran, and Turkey being at loggerheads with the Gulf monarchies, according to experts.

Additionally, Pakistan’s crippled economy and domestic security challenges make it an unlikely base for any military project, and its nuclear weapons and Islamic identity is not enough leverage to spearhead an Islamic military bloc, they say.